The semiconductor integrated circuit (IC) industry has experienced rapid growth. Technological advances in IC materials and design have produced generations of ICs where each generation has smaller and more complex circuits than the previous generation. However, these advances have increased the complexity of processing and manufacturing ICs and, for these advances to be realized, similar developments in IC processing and manufacturing are needed. In the course of integrated circuit evolution, functional density (i.e., the number of interconnected devices per chip area) has generally increased while geometry size (i.e., the smallest component (or line) that can be created using a fabrication process) has decreased.
Various active or passive electronic components can be formed on a semiconductor IC. For example, transformers, inductors, capacitors, etc, may be formed on a semiconductor IC. However, conventional electronic components formed on an IC may face shortcomings such as excess space consumption, poor device performance, inadequate shielding, and high fabrication costs.
Therefore, while existing electronic components on semiconductor ICs have been generally adequate for their intended purposes, they have not been entirely satisfactory in every aspect.